


This Thing We're Doing Here

by natascha_ronin



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Captain Swan Secret Santa 2016, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 03:43:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9158737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/natascha_ronin/pseuds/natascha_ronin
Summary: Gosh, it’s been awhile. So, this is my super-late gifty for @miloventimglia for CSSS. I am ridiculously sorry for the delay, but I basically had to rewrite this from memory. Also, a shout out to the lovely @ohmakemeahercules for the snippet that she wrote that inspired my bit in the beginning.Anyway, I hope everyone had Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year, and enjoy this bit I think you GG fans will particularly recognize. Cheers.





	

It’s been a totally shit day.

First of all, Emma Swan has had to say goodbye, again, to the love of her life. Captain Hook helped her, in the wish realm, to sail to Arendelle, find Ingrid’s portal, and say goodbye to her after finding out she’s the love of his life…in another universe. She’s heartbroken. Even with silver hair, lines around his eyes, and a slight limp to his step, he’s still her true love.

It’s melancholy and a bit like betrayal, saying goodbye to another version of Killian. Another version who, without question, did his best to get her back to where she needed to be. As she, and Regina, and the wish realm Robin walk through the portal, she chances a last glance back to the shipwrecked man. He raises an eyebrow and hooks his thumb through his belt, and she has to override the urge to cry at the Sophie’s choice she’s making, leaving him to get back to him. It’s torture. 

As the swirling mist envelops them and they walk through, he waves, his lip quivering minutely. 

She never wants to say goodbye to that man again. 

In fact, she’s determined to spend the rest of her life saying hello to him every morning, as Emma Swan, or Emma Swan-Jones, she doesn’t care. If she’s worked anything out on this little adventure, it’s that. Emma Swan wants to spend the rest of her crazy, ridiculous life with Killian Jones, Captain Hook, scourge of the seven seas, who gets annoyed when she takes her socks off in the bed at night and leaves them between the sheets. There’s just the small hurdle of those visions to overcome, and she’s ready to fight. She figures life owes her enough to let her die before Killian does, just not at the hands of the hooded figure in her visions. 

 

And then there’s that matter to attend to, the minute she gets back. 

She’s not sure how she’s gotten lucky enough to get on the bad side of every villain in history, but she’s never counted on the son of The Dark One being one of them. She spends the afternoon running through the park and the surrounding forest, fending off attacks from Gideon. 

Gideon, who just happens to be wearing a hood.

Go figure. She doesn’t even get a chance to change out of her Enchanted Forest garb before the fighting starts. Regina calls the family on her cell, and they’re off trying to outwit the town’s newest menace. 

Seeing Killian run up with her parents just adds to the maelstrom of emotions she’s feeling about everything, so she opts to take Robin and Regina with her to scout out the north side of the woods. She knows she’s being a coward, but it’s just too much to see the hopeful look on Killian’s face when she just crushed the hopes and dreams of his doppelganger just moments ago. She needs a minute to process things. 

 

When she finally gets a second to sit down and grab a bite to eat with her family, she’s grimy and disgusting, smelling like the three-day-long trip from Misthaven by sea, the climb up the side of the mountain in Arendelle, and a life-threatening romp through the woods. She’s hungry, so she wolfs down her dinner to the raised eyebrows of everyone at the table except Regina. 

And she’s not wearing deodorant. Sexy. 

Henry is the only one of them to break the ice. “You alright, mom?”

She swallows and nods her head, giving him an indulgent smile. “Yeah, kid. I just, um,” she looks around at everyone staring, “I probably should talk to Archie tomorrow. I’ve just got a lot on my mind.” 

Everyone hums in agreement. They know how it is. She’s got new memories overlapping her old fake ones and her real ones. She’s got a true love in this realm and the one The Evil Queen created, and she’s broken his heart. Archie can probably help her process everything that’s happened. It helps to have an impartial ear to sound off to. At least she knows who’s out to kill her, but it’s little comfort when her family is in danger now, too.

She isn’t surprised that Killian is quiet, sliding his onion rings over to her with a look that says, “We’re definitely talking this over at home.” As much as she wants that, wants to tell him all about the adventure she went on with him in the wish realm, she really just wants to go home, have a scalding hot shower with that super-perfumey body wash her mom gave her for Christmas, sink into her softest pajamas, and fall asleep with a smoldering pirate wrapped around her.  
And then promptly jump his bones and propose marriage to him tomorrow morning at the ungodly hour he wakes up. 

 

Killian knows something is wrong. He’s known from the moment Emma met up with them in the park and teamed up with Regina and Robin, suggesting they split up to look for the crocodile and his son. Hell, they haven’t had a moment’s embrace since she returned.  
He follows her into the kitchen the moment they walk into the house. The house he’s not occupied since she’s been gone, preferring to sleep on Dave and Snow’s couch in lieu of being alone in their bed without her. Being away from her only gnaws at his insecurities. He wants so desperately to know what happened in that other realm, the one she didn’t know him in. Whatever it was, it’s made her unsettled, and wary of being near him. This isn’t like any other time they’ve been separated. 

He’s not resting until he knows what’s bothering her. 

“Swan.”

“Don’t come near me.” Emma turns around abruptly and holds up her hands. 

“What -- ?”

“I smell like forest, and sweaty pirate ship.”

“Um –“ He doesn’t care if she smells like bilge, he just wants to hold her. “Love –“

“But, we need to talk.” She sighs and drops her palms, slapping them on her thighs. “I’ve figured some things out.” 

Killian furrows his brow. 

“I was running around some weird, twisted version of the Enchanted Forest with Regina and Robin, and there was this guy there.” She looks down bashfully and then back up to him. “He was you, but about thirty years older.”

“Me?” Killian shuffles his feet. “You met another version of Killian Jones?” He smiles nervously. 

“Yeah,” she breathes, “but he was just a shell of the man you are now. He was sad, lonely, with some mile-high walls that I had to hurtle over.” She looks at him pointedly. “He never found love after Milah.” She slides her hands into her cape. Storybrooke is a bit colder than the Enchanted Forest this time of year. He should like to start a fire and draw her a hot bath, but there’s this feeling like lead in his belly, like he’s not going to like how this story turns out. 

“But he helped me – he helped us. He helped me get back to you.”

Killian shakes his head. “In any realm, you’re my true love, and I –“

Emma holds up her hands to ward him off again. “Listen, Killian,” she takes a deep breath, “While I was with this older version of you, something occurred to me – “

And this is it. This is every insecurity he’s ever had blowing back at him like a strong gust of wind in the sail. “Swan, I know what you’re doing.” He puts his hand in his pocket. It’s just like every other time something has pulled them together and scared her about the future. She’s pulling away from him. He should have known an older version of him would scare her. 

“I know things aren’t perfect, and I know there have been a great many grievances between us.” He thumbs the box in his pocket, its contents spurring him on. “You’ve kept things from me, and I’ve kept things from you –“

“Killian, I –“

“We’ve hurt each other, and I’m certain, despite all of my best wishes that we’ll hurt each other again.” He pulls his hand out and reaches toward her, like he’s trying to calm an upset horse. “I am not unhappy or dissatisfied, despite what you may think, and I wish I could convince you that this, right here is all I’ll ever need.” He looks around the room and realizes that this is as good a place as any to make his case. This is their home, after all. 

“Killian,” she sighs and closes her eyes, hunching her shoulders into her soiled cape. It was probably once quite beautiful. She still looks beautiful in it, with her hair half out of its plait, deep circles under her eyes, and smudges of mud on her cheeks. And, gods above and below, he wants her for the rest of his life. He’s just tired and emotionally frayed and he shouldn’t have to keep telling her this, but he does.

“I know I’m not the easiest man to build a life with or share a home with, but there is nobody who will stand by you like I will, Swan.” His voice shakes with emotion, tears prickling his eyes, as he presses, “I will never leave you, love; I shudder at the mere thought, and I will do whatever it takes to fix what’s wrong. I’ll go to see the cricket with you; I’ll give you back the entire closet. I only took that half because you insisted I do so.” He bites his trembling lip, realizing he’s rambling on into the ridiculously trivial. He just can’t lose her like this, not now, not since he’s lost and found her so many times. 

“Killian.” she sighs and looks back up at him. “I think we should get married.”

He raises his eyebrows, astonished. “You do?”

Emma leans against the counter, rubbing her face with her hands. It looks like something he would do. 

She looks up at him again. There are tears in her eyes. “I do. The time I spent with you in the wish realm made me realize…I want to grow old with you. I want to beat this crappy savior fate so that you and I can get started on that future we’ve talked about.” She bites her lip and laughs quietly. 

Killian nods, reaches into his pocket and pulls out the box. He snaps the lid open with his hook, regarding the simple solitaire nestled inside. He hears her quiet gasp as he pulls the ring out and takes her left hand. 

She curls her fingers around his hook as he slides the ring onto her finger. They both gleam in the overhead light of the kitchen. 

He’s suddenly fraught with nerves over her less-than-vocal reaction. “I should probably get a better ring, a newer one, this –“

“Don’t you dare.” Emma squeezes his hook and pulls him toward her. 

There are tears in their eyes and he sniffles. She smells of earth and sun. She smells like his Emma. He leans in and their lips meet and she tastes like the salt of the sea. 

“Marry me, Swan,” he whispers against her lips. 

She pulls back and looks at him with glassy eyes and a watery smile, fingers running over his beard and ears and the nape of his neck. “As you wish.”


End file.
